Labatt Breweries of Canada, already well-known for its sports and entertainment interests, has moved into the publishing business with two versions of one magazine.

Called Beer, naturally enough, the magazine is an outgrowth of Labatt’s direct response efforts.

Labatt mails one version or the other to consumers who have used the 1-800 lines in the breweries ads.

One version of Beer, for the under-30 crowd, touts Labatt Ice and Labatt Genuine Draft.

The second version, for older consumers, advertises Labatt Blue, the brewer’s best-selling flagship brand, and John Labatt Classic.

David Kincaid, Labatt’s director of marketing, told a press conference in December, if the magazine idea works, the brewery will probably shift more of its spending to direct response marketing.

Kincaid said at the press conference some newspaper ads that carry the 1-800 number have pulled in up to 100,000 calls. DC